Childhood-Family and households Flashcards
How is western childhood being globalised?
INternational humanitarian and welfare agencies have exported and imposed on the rest of the world, western norms of what childhood should be- (a separate lifestage based in the nucleur family and schoold in which children are dependent, vunreable and have no economic role)
For example campaigns against child labour or ‘street children’ in developing countries refllect western views about how childhood should be where as such activity by children may be the norm in certain cultures and important for adult life.
What are some historical differences in childhood (middle ages)
Historian philippe aries argues that in the middle ages (10th to 13th centuries) the idea of childhood did not exisist and children were not seen as having a different nature or needs from adults.
In the middle ages childhood as a separate stage was short. after being weaned the child entered wider society on the same terms as adults, beginning work. Law made no distinction from adults and children e.g same punishments faced.
Aries used artform as evidence from this period in which children appear without any charecteristics of childhood (adults and children dressed in same clothes working together)
Parental attitudes towards children were different. (Edward shorter) argues that high death rate encouraged in difference and neglect esspecially towards infants. e.g name newborns after dead siblings.
According to aries what elements of modern notion of childood gradually began to emerge from the thirteenth century onwards. +criticism
- Schools which previosly adults had also attended came to specialise in education purely or the young. this reflected influence of the church which saw children as fragile creatures of god in need of protection.
- Growing distinction between childrens and adult’s clothing. By the 17th century an upper classed boy would be dressed in outfit for his own age
- By 18th century handbooks on childrearing were widely available a sign of growing child centeredness of family life,
These developments accumulate in the modern cult of childhood. we have moved to a world obssesed with childhood. He calls the 20th century the century of the child.
Linda pollock argues the middle ages society had a different notion of chldhood from todays rather than it not exisisting.
What are the reasons for chainges in the position of children
- Laws restricting child labour and excluding children from paid work-no longer economic assets but an economic liability
- Introduction of compulsory schooling- In 1880 raising of the school leaving age has extended
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Child protection and welfare legislation- 1889 prevention of cruelty to children act made welfare of children the fundamental princible of agencies such as social services
** Growth of idea of childrens rights**- children act defines parents as having responsibilities for children. united nations convention on the rights of children (1989) lays down basic rights e.g entitlement to healthcare, education, protection from abuse etc -
Declining family size and lower infant morality-encouaged greater emotional and finnancial investment in children.
* children development becoming subject of medical knowledge Donzelot observes how theories on child development stresses importance of protection - Laws and policies apply specifically to children e.g smoking age sex reinforced children are diff to adults
Industrialisation- shift from argiculture to factory underlies many of these factors/changes. modern industry needs educated wprkfprce
High standards of living- lower infant morality rates
What does Postman believe about the disappearance of childhood?
Childhood is disappearing at a dazziling spped. He points to the trend towards giving children the same rights as adults, the disappearance of childrens traditional unsupervised games, the growing similarity of adults and childrens clothing and cases of children commiting adult crimes like murder.
The cause for this disappearence lies in the rise and fall of print culture and its replacement by television culture.
during the middle ages most poeple were illiterate and speech was the only needed skill for the adult world. Childhood was not assosiated with innocence and the adult world with mystery. There was no division between adult and child worlds
What does postman argue about the information heirachy?
Childhood emerged as a separate status along with mass literacy, from the 19th century on. This is because the printed word creates an infromation heirachy a sharp division between adults who can read and children who cannot.
Giving adults the power to keep knowledge about sex money, violence, death and other adult matters a secret from children. childhood became associated with innocence and ignorance.
television blurs this disticntion by destorying the knowledge heirarchy. Tv doesnt require skills to acsess it and the boundary of adults and childrens knowledge is broken down and the innocence of childhood is replaced by knowledge and cynicism
Evaluation of Postmans views on childhood
Iona opie argues that childhood is not disappearing. based on a lifetime of research into childrens unsupervised games, rhymes and songs with her husband. she argues there is strong evidence of a separate childrens culture over years.
Postmans study is valuable in showing how different types of communication technology such as print and tv can influence the way in which childhood is constructed.
What does sociologist Jenks (2005) believe about childhood
Agrees with aries that childhood was a creation of modern society. modern society was concerned with futurity and childhood was seen as a preparation for the individual to become a productive adult in the future. To achieve this the child would need to be nutured and controlled especially by child centered family and education system imposing conformity.
Childhood is undergoing change as a society as it moves from modernity to postmodernity. In modern society adult relationships were more stable but in postmodernity they are constantly changing. e.g divorce.
Generating feelings of insecurity, relationships wit children become more important as a source of adults identity and stablity. its the adults last refuge from the uncertanity of life as a result adults will want to protect children. Establishing difference between adults and children.
Evaluation of jenkins view on childhood
There is evidence that parents see their relationships with their children as more important than with thier partners and that parents are very concerned about the risks they believe their children face. However evidence comes from small unrepresentative studies.
Jenks is over genrealising, Not all children are in the same position.
Describe the march of progress view on childhood
The march of progress view argues that over the past few centuries the position of children in western societies has been steadily improving and today is better than it has ever been,
Lloyd de Mause states “ the history of childhood is a nightmare from which we have only recently begun to awaken. the further back in history one goes the lower the level of childcare”
Aries and shorter argue that today children are more valued better cared for and educated, they have better rights than those of previous generations.
children today are protected from harm by laws and have an array of specialist caters for their educational and medical needs.
babies have a better chance of survival. In 1900 infant mortality was 154 per 1000 live births today it is 4
Describe the march of progress view the child centered family
Higher living standards and smaller family sizes mean that parents can afford to provide for childrens needs properly. according to one estimate bu the time a child reaches their 21st birthday they will have cost their parents 227,000.
Family has become more child centred children are now the focal point of the family, consulted on many descions as never before. They also have high qaspirations for them to have a greater life.
also media output many leisure activities designed for children.
Describe the conflict view of childhood
The conflict perspective, associated with Marxist and Feminist views, challenges the March of Progress view.
It argues that childhood is shaped by social inequalities. and it is also based on a false and idealise image that ignores important inequalities.
There are inequalities among children interms of the oppurtunities and risks they face many today remain unprotected and badly cared for
the inequalities between children and adults are greater than ever, children today experience greater control oppression and dependency not greater care and protection
What does the conflict view believe about gender inequalities among children
Not all children share the same status or experiences. e.g children of different nationalities are likely to experience different childhoods and diffferent life chances. 90% of all worlds low birth weight abbies are born in under developed countries.
Mayer Hillman: Noys are more likley to be allowed to cross or cycle on roads use buses and go out after dark un accompanied.
Jens bonke found that girls do more domestic labour esppecially in lone parent famiilies where they do five times more housework than boys.
What does the conflict view believe about ethnic inequalities among children
Julia Brannens study of 15/16 year old found that asian parents were more likely to be stricter than other parents towards their daughters. Ghazala Bhatti found that ideas of izzat (family honour) could be a restriction on the behavior of girls.
What does the conflict view believe about class inequalities among children
Poor mothers are more likley to have low birth weight babies which is linked to a delayed physical and intellectual development.
Children of unskilled manual workers are over three times more likely to suffer from hyper activity and four more times likely to experience conduct disorders than the children of professionals.
Children born into poor famillies are also more likely to die in infancy or childhood. To be shirter in height and fall behind at school.
What does the conflict view believe about inequalities among children and adults
Shulamith firestone and john holt argue that many of the things that march of progress writers see as care and protection are in fact new forms of opression. firestone argues that protection from paid work is not a form of benefit to children but inequality. way of forcibly segregating children making them more dependent.
they see the need to free children from adult control. ‘child liberationism.
Describe adult control over children: neglect and abuse
Physical neglect, or physical sexual or emotional abuse. In 2013 43,000 children were subject to child protection plans as they were deemed to be at risk of significant harm. Chlid line recieve over 20,000 calls a year from children.
Describe adult control over children: control over children’s space
Shops may display signs such as no schoolchildren, children are told to play in some areas and forbidden to play in others.
Fears of stranger danger and road safety have led to more parents driving children to school.
1971 86% of children were allowed to travel home from school alone. By 2010 that had fallen bu 25%
Cindi Katz describes how rural sudanese children roam freely both within the village and severeal kilometers outside it.
Describe adult control over children: control over free time
Adults in modern society control childrens daily routines and the speed at which children ‘grow up’. it is they who define whether a child is too old or young for something.
This contrasts with Holmes finding that among Samoans ‘too young’ is never a given reason for not letting a child undertake a certain task.
Describe adult control over children: controls over childrens bodies
How they sit,walk and run, what they wear, their hairstyles, piercings. It is taken for granted that children’s bodies may be touched a certain way e.g washed, picked up, kissed or disciplined.
children may be told not to pick their nose, suck their thumbs etc. contrasting with sexual freedoms enjoyed by non industrial cultures such as the trobriand islands.
Describe adult control over children: control over acsess to resources
In industrial societies children have only limited oppurtunities to earn money and so they remain dependent economically on adults.
- Labour laws and complusory schooling exclude them from all but the most marginal low paid part time employment.
- State paid child benefit goes to parent not the child
- pocket money may depend on good behavior and there may be restrictions on spending.
Katz sudanese children were already engaged in productive work from 3 or 4
Describe age patriarchy (conflict view) +criticism
Diana Gittuna uses the term age patriarchy to describe inequalities between adults and children. Gittins argues that there is also an age patriarchy of adult domination and the child dependency
Cathy Humphreys and Ravi Thiara a quater of the 200 women in their study left their abusing partner because they feared for their childrens lives.
Some children may experience childhood as oppressive through restrictions. Hockey and James describe one stratergy as acting up- acting like adults by doing things that children are not supposed to do, swearing, alchol etc
Acting down is a way of behaving younger, reverting to baby talk, a way of resisting parental control.
Crticisms: some control is justified on the gorunds that children cannot make rational descions and are unable to safe guard themselves.
Also they may argue that children have more power then the liberationalists claim.
Describe the new sociology of childhood approach
There is danger of the other perspectives seeing children as merely passive objects who have no part in making their own childhoods.
It risks seeing children as what berry mayall calls and adultist viewpoint which sees children as mere socialisation projects for adults to shape and develop.
This approach sees children as active agents who play a major part in shaping their own childhoods.
What is Carol Smart’s new approach to studying childhood, and how does it emphasize the views and experiences of children?
Carol smart-the new approach aims to include the views and experiences of the children themselves. As mayall says we need to focus on the present tense of childhood to study ordinary everyday life from a chil’ds perspective.
Jennifer mason and becky tipper show how children are actively create their own definitions of family.
Smart study of divorce children were actively involved in trying to better the situation.
Studies using research methods such as infromal unstructured interviews which empower children to express their own views.
as smart notes there are disabled childhoods, girls childhood and the childhoods of adopted children.
The approach also draws attention to the fact that children often lack power in relations to adults,
